Tanka prose
Encyclopedia
Tanka prose is a literary genre whose individual compositions employ two modes of writing -— verse and prose. It was first composed by Japanese poets, often in the elementary form of a prose commentary or anecdote to accompany a poem, and only later in the more extended forms of memoir and diary. Tanka prose, therefore, is related to but predates another Japanese literary form, haibun
, and differs from haibun in the verse form that it utilizes. Tanka prose employs tanka
with prose while haibun employs haiku
with prose. Tanka were composed in Japan for nearly a millennium before the advent of haiku. Early examples of tanka prose are the Tosa Diary by Ki no Tsurayuki
(940 M.E.) and the Gossamer Years
by the woman known as “the mother of Michitsuna” (980 M.E.). Early haibun, by contrast, are the 17th century works of Matsuo Bashō
, some seven centuries later.
Tanka prose, in its many varied forms, is built upon one common basic unit of composition (one paragraph, one tanka). The simplest applications of this “basic unit” are two and are common to classical Japanese and contemporary English-language practice: preface and poem tale. The preface is expository and often concerned with little more than sketching the motive and setting of the composition. A poem tale, as the name implies, adopts narrative qualities, whether the narration is abbreviated and anecdotal or expansive and closer to the short story
proper.
Variation in the number and placement of tanka in relation to the prose is widespread in today’s practice of the tanka prose genre. The basic unit of one paragraph of prose, one tanka, is a very common form while inversion of that unit (one tanka followed by one paragraph of prose) is a frequent variation. Another common form of tanka prose is the verse envelope—tanka, prose, tanka. Many other forms are in use, most generated by inversion or compounding of the basic unit of one paragraph, one tanka. These variations in number and placement of tanka are not without effect upon the flavor and character of the individual tanka prose work.
Tanka prose in English is in its infancy. Sanford Goldstein’s “Tanka Walk,” (1983), is one of the earliest examples known. Jane Reichhold, Larry Kimmel, Gary LeBel and Linda Jeannette Ward are some other notable poets who adopted tanka prose in the 1990s. Contemporary practitioners include LeBel, Ward, Ingrid Kunschke, Bob Lucky, Patricia Prime and Jeffrey Woodward. Online journals where new examples of the genre appear with some regularity include Modern Haibun & Tanka Prose, Haibun Today, Modern English Tanka and Atlas Poetica. Tanka prose is also included in the anthology series, Take Five : Best Contemporary Tanka" (MET Press, 2009) and Take Five, Vol 2 (MET Press, 2010).
In anthologies and collections
Haibun
Haibun is a literary composition that combines prose and haiku. The range of haibun is broad and includes, but is not limited to, the following forms of prose: autobiography, biography, diary, essay, history, prose poem, short story and travel literature....
, and differs from haibun in the verse form that it utilizes. Tanka prose employs tanka
Waka (poetry)
Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...
with prose while haibun employs haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
with prose. Tanka were composed in Japan for nearly a millennium before the advent of haiku. Early examples of tanka prose are the Tosa Diary by Ki no Tsurayuki
Ki no Tsurayuki
was a Japanese author, poet and courtier of the Heian period.Tsurayuki was a son of Ki no Mochiyuki. He became a waka poet in the 890s. In 905, under the order of Emperor Daigo, he was one of four poets selected to compile the Kokin Wakashū, an anthology of poetry.After holding a few offices in...
(940 M.E.) and the Gossamer Years
Kagero Nikki
is a classical piece of Japanese literature from the Heian period that falls under the genre of nikki bungaku, or diary literature. Written around 974, the author of Kagerō Nikki is a woman who is only known by the title of Mother of Michitsuna...
by the woman known as “the mother of Michitsuna” (980 M.E.). Early haibun, by contrast, are the 17th century works of Matsuo Bashō
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
, some seven centuries later.
Tanka prose, in its many varied forms, is built upon one common basic unit of composition (one paragraph, one tanka). The simplest applications of this “basic unit” are two and are common to classical Japanese and contemporary English-language practice: preface and poem tale. The preface is expository and often concerned with little more than sketching the motive and setting of the composition. A poem tale, as the name implies, adopts narrative qualities, whether the narration is abbreviated and anecdotal or expansive and closer to the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
proper.
Variation in the number and placement of tanka in relation to the prose is widespread in today’s practice of the tanka prose genre. The basic unit of one paragraph of prose, one tanka, is a very common form while inversion of that unit (one tanka followed by one paragraph of prose) is a frequent variation. Another common form of tanka prose is the verse envelope—tanka, prose, tanka. Many other forms are in use, most generated by inversion or compounding of the basic unit of one paragraph, one tanka. These variations in number and placement of tanka are not without effect upon the flavor and character of the individual tanka prose work.
Tanka prose in English is in its infancy. Sanford Goldstein’s “Tanka Walk,” (1983), is one of the earliest examples known. Jane Reichhold, Larry Kimmel, Gary LeBel and Linda Jeannette Ward are some other notable poets who adopted tanka prose in the 1990s. Contemporary practitioners include LeBel, Ward, Ingrid Kunschke, Bob Lucky, Patricia Prime and Jeffrey Woodward. Online journals where new examples of the genre appear with some regularity include Modern Haibun & Tanka Prose, Haibun Today, Modern English Tanka and Atlas Poetica. Tanka prose is also included in the anthology series, Take Five : Best Contemporary Tanka" (MET Press, 2009) and Take Five, Vol 2 (MET Press, 2010).
Examples
In literary periodicals- Modern Haibun & Tanka Prose - biannual haibun, tanka prose and criticism in hardcopy and digital editions
- Haibun Today - quarterly haibun, tanka prose and criticism online only
- Modern English Tanka- quarterly tanka, tanka prose and criticism in hardcopy and digital editions
- Atlas Poetica - triannual tanka and tanka prose in hardcopy and digital editions
In anthologies and collections
- Kei, M., Sanford Goldstein, Pamela A. Babusci, Patricia Prime, Bob Lucky, Kala Ramesh, eds. Take Five : Best Contemporary Tanka (MET Press, 2009)
- Kei, M., Sanford Goldstein, Patricia Prime, Kala Ramesh, Alexis Rotella, Angela Leuck, eds. Take Five : Best Contemporary Tanka, Vol 2. (MET Press, 2010)
- Woodward, Jeffrey, ed. The Tanka Prose Anthology (MET Press, 2008)